New stud gets top female at 2026 Charnelle Charolais invitational sale
Commercial producers returning to the seedstock game bought the top-price female at the 2026 Charnelle Charolais invitational female and genetics sale.
About 100 people packed the stands at the Toowoomba showgrounds on Saturday, March 7, with bidders joining in person and online from local areas, north to Cloncurry, west to Charleville and into both NSW and Victoria.
At the conclusion of bidding, 61 from 69 live lots sold for an 88.4 per cent clearance, $6266 average and a sale gross, with genetics packages included, of $482,540.
The average was up by about $900 on the 2025 sale, when 62 of 76 females sold through the ring for an 81pc clearance, $5387 average, and top of $14,000.
Graham Blanch and family of Charnelle Charolais, Tenthill, sold Charnelle Nardia to Springview Park principals Brett and Belinda Small for the top price of $20,000.
Charnelle Nardia was an unjoined heifer at about 16 months old, by Johnny FR and out of Milford Nardia.
Mr Small, based at Casino, said he came to the sale to go home with Nardia.
Charnelle Charolais invitational sale socials
Pictures by Zac Braxton-Smith
"Her breeding stood out," he said.
"We have a commercial herd with about 300 cows, we put Charolais over them and turn off Charbrays.
"And we have just reinstated our stud.
"It's been about 25 years since we first started it, and the kids are interested in helping out."
Nardia was one of four lots purchased by the Small family, for an average of $14,250.
She had a very tidy structure, good length, thickness and strength on top, Mr Blanch said.
"Nardia's dam is from New Zealand, her sire is from France, and there is a Canadian bull in her bloodlines," he said.
"It was very difficult to part with her, but we were fortunate that her dam had another heifer."
She would be artificially inseminated in 2026, Mr Small said, then shown on the local circuit.
Bulk buyers were out in force at the sale, with nine producers taking home three or more lots.
The Gleeson family, of Fairview Cattle Co, Alpha, bought four lots for an average of $8375; and the Peters family at Maclagan bought four lots for $4000 each.
In a full breakdown of the sale result, four of six cow and calf units sold for an average of $8063, and four of five pregnancy-tested-in-calf cows sold for an average of $6500.
Forty of 43 joined heifers sold for a $5975 average, 12 of 13 unjoined heifers sold for a $6583 average, and the one of two bulls sold for $6000 after the conclusion of bidding.
Elders Queensland and Northern Territory stud stock manager Michael Smith said buyers were willing to pay for quality.
"There were plenty of repeat buyers today, and it was good to see some new faces too," Mr Smith said.
"Buyers have been willing to pay for quality for the past 12 months, and this will likely be the case for the next 12 months."
A total of 33 from 45 embryo lots sold for an average of $1033 per embryo, and 44 of 60 semen lots sold for an average of $87 a straw.
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Vendor averages - females
For vendors who sold two or more lots through the ring:
Andrew Postle: 2/2, $6250 average
B & M McConnaughty: 2/2, $4250 average
Calmview Charolais: 5/8, $4300 average
Cheyenne Charolais: 4/5, $5000 average
GK & KA Blanch: 15/16, $8600 average
ID & KM Bebbington: 9/9, $5110 average
JM & GA Weeks: 4/4, $10,630 average
Judith Turner: 5/6, $7800 average
Justin & Jane Sanderson: 3/6, $3670 average.
- Selling agents - Elders and Stocklive Elite
